The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence eBook

In September, 1778, the British Island of Dominica
was seized by an expedition from the adjacent French
colony of Martinique. The affair was a surprise,
and possesses no special military interest; but it
is instructive to observe that Great Britain was unprepared,
in the West Indies as elsewhere, when the war began.
A change had been made shortly before in the command
of the Leeward Islands Station, as it was called,
which extended from Antigua southward over the Lesser
Antilles with headquarters at Barbados. Rear-Admiral
the Hon. Samuel Barrington, the new-comer, leaving
home before war had been declared, had orders not
to quit Barbados till further instructions should
arrive. These had not reached him when he learned
of the loss of Dominica. The French had received
their orders on the 17th of August. The blow
was intrinsically somewhat serious, so far as the mere
capture of a position can be, because the fortifications
were strong, though they had been inadequately garrisoned.
It is a mistake to build works and not man them, for
their fall transfers to the enemy strength which he
otherwise would need time to create. To the French
the conquest was useful beyond its commercial value,
because it closed a gap in their possessions.
They now held four consecutive islands, from north
to south, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, and Santa
Lucia.

Barrington had two ships of the line: his flagship,
the Prince of Wales, 74, and the Boyne,
70. If he had been cruising, these would probably
have deterred the French. Upon receiving the news
he put to sea, going as far as Antigua; but he did
not venture to stay away because his expected instructions
had not come yet, and, like Keppel, he feared an ungenerous
construction of his actions. He therefore remained
in Barbados, patiently watching for an opportunity
to act.

The departure of Howe and the approach of winter determined
the transference of British troops and ships from
the continent to the Leeward Islands. Reinforcements
had given the British fleet in America a numerical
superiority, which for the time imposed a check upon
d’Estaing; but Byron, proverbially unlucky in
weather, was driven crippled to Newport, leaving the
French free to quit Boston. The difficulty of
provisioning so large a force as twelve ships of the
line at first threatened to prevent the withdrawal,
supplies being then extremely scarce in the port;
but at the critical moment American privateers brought
in large numbers of prizes, laden with provisions
from Europe for the British army. Thus d’Estaing
was enabled to sail for Martinique on the 4th of November.
On the same day there left New York for Barbados a
British squadron,—­two 64’s, three
50’s, and three smaller craft,—­under
the command of Commodore William Hotham, convoying
five thousand troops for service in the West Indies.